Our Colorado Home: Dining Room Tour

Our dining room may be my favorite room in the house. It's large, open, and gets as much sunlight as a girl could want throughout the day thanks to those gloriously large, West-facing windows. Other than having my heart set on a more modern drum shade rather than the original fixture and a second layer of curtains for night time privacy, this room is finally finished. 

It's very different than any other dining space we've had as our last home didn't have a designated area so we made things work at one end of our living room. The rental before that had a medium dining room but I used it primarily as studio space. I've had the yellow fiberglass chairs for about two years after buying them from a friend in Springfield and found the two vintage school chairs in an antique shop near Oklahoma City for a song. They used to go with the kitchenette that I stole those hairpin legs from.

Don't hate me but I found the vintage rug in a warehouse moving sale in a tiny town in Oklahoma for $35. I had asked about a few things in the store that weren't marked and was frustrated that none of them seemed to be for sale and was about to walk out when I spotted it. I almost squealed when she wanted $35 and couldn't get to the cash register fast enough! This is the only room in the house it'll fit since it's so long but I love how it's become the focal point for the rest of the decor.

I found the vintage record table recently at a flea market as well as the minty blue typewriter. It's my favorite out of my whole collection. The yellow typewriter was thrifted awhile back in MO. The wooden #3 was purchased at the Alameda Flea Market in 2008 and the plant and planter are from Lowe's.

The mirror and gas station sign were thrifted in Springfield and the vintage school table was gifted by my in-laws. It makes a great record stand for our Crosley. I keep our growing record collection in a large metal milk crate below the desk but we may need to figure out another system soon.

The large white wardrobe used to be Ruby's makeshift closet but has been repurposed as our office space. I found it at a mom and pop used furniture shop in MO and power sanded it and painted it while eight months pregnant with her. It was a labor of love! The vintage globes have been collected from various thrift stores in MO and the large vintage map was an Etsy purchase. The DIY for adding dowels to a map can be found here.

The vintage kids' table was Ruby's Christmas present. I thrifted it and the brown chair in Springfield but found the aqua school chair way back in 2008 on our move from Fresno, CA to Springfield, MO. It rode on my lap most of the way. 

Our growth chart needs updated.

I found the wooden folding chair at a thrift store for $5 but it had a torn cover so I reupholstered it as a project in my Modern Patchwork e-course. It hasn't had a place to sit out for over a year so I'm glad I can finally enjoy it.

That little nook was a good spot to hang this old sock dryer. I have three of them in various colors that have been waiting for some extra wall space to be displayed! I recently noticed on Instagram that my dear friend, Rubyellen, has one as well in the same color!

You can see into our little hallway and bathroom here. The plant stand was a recent thrift here in CO but the mirror has been in various parts of the last two homes we've lived in.

You can read all about my dining room table search that turned into a DIY here.

I bought this from YeeHaw press about a month ago and just learned they're going out of business. I know they'll be missed.

I'm taking this photo from the front of the house looking through to the back where you can see our kitchen. Our living room spans the front width of the house and I've turned it into two sitting areas but it's not quite ready for it's full reveal. You'll see why in a minute. 

Basically, everything in this photo was thrifted except for the IKEA pillow and sheep skin and the pink Modernica shell chair.

This is the view from the kitchen looking to the front of the house. I've recently taken down the flannel cranberry curtains that were hanging over the sheer drapes and it's made it feel like a whole new space. It's amazing how something that doesn't fit your aesthetic can change your feelings about your environment. It's so much brighter now, although we can't walk around naked at night.

You do it, too.

Just to keep it real, here is the other side of our living room. The laundry pile has been there for over a week, the homeless chalkboard panel was moved out of a previous shot and propped up here, there are toys usually strewn about in one corner or another from that week's activities, and I still have lots of stuff that I haven't found a place to put (floor lamps, picture frames, etc.). You can also see into our little bedroom. Our bed was unmade and those ugly curtains were draped across the top waiting to be folded and bagged until we move out.

I spent a lot of time getting my dining room clean for these photos and while this is the general structure in it's ideal form, things are usually in much more 'lived in' conditions unless company is coming over. We don't mind it that way and I'll gladly share our everyday messes on Instagram and in future posts but I like seeing it like it at it's very best, too. 

I'm going to continue to share room tours of our new space as those rooms feel put together. It's good motivation for me to get things done!

I'm happy to respond to any questions about my aesthetic or where I found something in the comments below. I've also shared almost everything I know about designing a home you love in my e-course, Style Your Space, if you're looking for something much more in depth.

Thanks for reading!

-Rachel

Comments

[Olga]

I love the retro decor and all your personal touches to the final detail! I'm particularly fond of the gas station sign, vintage school table and the Crosley. Hangers with pictures are fun as well! Well done - a lot of work and love in there :)

[Petunia Mae]

It looks SO lovely!! I love when you move into a new space and with fresh eyes, you can make everything feel just right. Great job, lady! The table is FANTASTIC!

[-V]

Your dining room is gorgeous. It all goes together lovely. The globe, signs, table are my favorite! Actually, I just love all of it.

[Bric-a-Brac/Angie]

Beautifully done! The colors are perfect and that rug is awesome :)

[eni]

gorgeous!!!
your home has so much charme!
and you made it sooo wonderful and special!
love your dining room!
all the little details...all made with love!
great job rachel!
i´m excited to see more of your home!
thanks for sharing!

liebgruss from germany
eni

[Meredith]

Your dining room looks so beautiful!! I love all of the little touches! It looks like the perfect space for your family. :)

[Allyapples]

Rachel, it looks amazing! Thank you for sharing - I was looking foward to some house tour posts from you. Kudos for keeping it real with the 'and this is the messy part' bit :-)

[Sandra Kohlmann]

I love that you say the dining room is FINALLY done. I've lived in my house for five years and there isn't a single room in the house that is done. The two closest to completion are my daughters' room, which needs a closet door and my bedroom, which has had walls without a single picture on them for over three years now (since we painted). I would love to live in a place with great thrifting, so I could redecorate on a reasonable budget.

Thanks for sharing these pictures. Your house is amazing!

[sarah jane]

Ha! Was truly glad to see the "other side" as I was feeling a bit jealous that you put everything together so quickly when I've been in my house for almost two years and it still looks like a wreck! (but we're renovating... I have to keep reminding myself!) anyway, it looks awesome. so light and breezy. you have great style!

[Annie]

Such a beautiful room! Thank you for sharing it! Super jealous of your amazing vintage rug. When (or if) I can ever afford a house I hope to fill it with awesome finds and makes - your DIYs are so inspiring!

[Jillian {Her Split Ends}]

That rug IS amazing!! Great find for sure. I also really enjoy the little hook on the side of your cabinet...brilliant idea!

Cheers
~ Jillian
www.hersplitends.com

[Mama Smith]

Love it! I also have a fair amount of dark wood molding in my house from the '20s and I love it but it can be tough to reconcile with all of the images of modern/vintage colorful furniture in bright white spaces that I drool over. You've done a great job working with the wood but still making it all feel fresh and light!

[Dixie]

Thanks for giving us the tour of your home. So pretty.

[Casey]

It's beautiful! Love your style, I know I've said that before. The rug is perfect, and I agree about the curtains... We had big red curtains in our rental and changing them out made all the difference!

[ira lee]

i love it all! i ALWAYS find myself wanting a carbon copy of your house. and i always said after renting (for like 7 yrs) that i would NEVER EVER have off white walls again. however.....the clean white walls and lots of sunlight provide such a light and airy feel. i may be changing my mind. :)

[Meghan]

I actually really dig that light fixture! I'm moving in a few months & have to get rid of most of my furniture...you always inspire me to hunt down more unique thrift finds though!

[kristin]

You are so good - I've been waiting for a Colorado house tour! Love to see all your stuff rearranged in a new way. You always inspire me to get out and thrift more, too. That rug is incredible!

[Faith @ Ordinary Mommy Design]

We've been in our house for 5 years, and it's still not as put together as yours when it comes to decor. Love the look of your dining area!

[simplemittens]

It's perfect. For real. I think we have a very similar aesthetic for home decor.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

I love the school feel that flows through this space! It's a very unique touch.

[Beth @ dot in the city]

Oh I love it! The diningroom table turned out so well :) and I love the idea of putting the growth chart on a piece of furniture. My dad would transfer it to a stick every time we moved- ha! And I love all the sunlight...Colorado is great for that, huh? I miss Colorado Springs (lived there for six years, two of my dad's Air Force assignments as a kid and then went to grad school at UCCS)!

[Joy]

Oh, my! You're not kidding about that gorgeous light! And the wood floors are beautiful, also! I'm super inspired by this post, thanks a lot! My husband and I are prepping for a spring cleaning painting project in our little apartment and seeing your white walls and awesome decor makes me not so sad about having to keep the color neutral. Thanks for sharing!!

[Account Deleted]

So beautiful! Love it all!

[Cathy]

I adore your style. It's so playful yet well thought out and eclectic yet everything seems to mix well.

Also love the real life photos! :)

Cathy
Turquoise Flamingo
http://www.turquoiseflamingo.com/

[crystal]

awesome!! like how the green flows from the living room to the dining room..and thanks for keeping it real! :)

[Noel]

Thanks for the keeping it real section there at the end. I was beginning to wonder if we could be blog friends after all. Seriously though, your place is amazing. So super cute. I love all your thrift store finds. I often tell my hubby that things are so much cuter because we hunted them down like a buried treasure at Value Village :) Looks like a very cozy spot.

[Gigi Fontenot]

Rachel... Absolutely beautiful home! I love seeing other peoples aesthetic and ways of decorating. The windows really do open the place up and make it so bright and cheery! Thank you for sharing. Xoxo

[Kym]

I'm so excited for your room tours. i love your style. Even though it is very different from mine as a whole, there are many little details in your decor that I am nuts about. And you are so much more organized about decorating than I am :)

[Evelisa]

I love keeping it real section it looks like my home. I always wonder when I see beautiful design ok where is the evidence that people live here.

[Elle]

wow looks really pretty!! And I love that there's so much light =)